Since its establishment, Dokuz Eylul University has been involved in practices aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. This situation begins with the intensive use of glass facades in the construction of buildings. With this application, which aims to benefit from the sun all day, there is no need for lighting in the buildings during the daytime and energy savings are provided.
The University is at the forefront of waste management with its attitude that prioritizes waste reduction, reuse and recycling. The practices of digitalization to reduce paper waste, bringing all recyclable wastes in campuses into the economy through licensed companies, and transforming biodegradable wastes into useful materials through composting are continuous and active.
The use of energy-saving devices in the university is increasing day by day, LED lights are used in all renovations in lighting, maintenance, repair and precautionary applications are carried out in the campuses without allowing any energy loss. In addition, all indoor temperatures are reduced to 10C below the comfort temperature in winter, and the indoor temperature is ensured to be a maximum of 210C during the heating season.
According to the Energy Efficiency Law No. 5627, to which our university is also subjected to, Energy Audit Report Preparation – Energy Management – Energy Performance Certificate Projects have been carried out in the campuses. In this context, actions to be taken regarding energy saving are clarified.
Environmental projects of the university continue on a continuous basis. Dokuz Eylul University started the “Smart Arbor” project to be used widely in all its campuses. These environmentally friendly and clean energy structures for sustainable campuses have been prepared for the use of university students and will meet the needs of students in the campus areas where they spend time outside of class hours. The benches under the gazebos will generate electricity with solar panels, serve as a charging station for smart devices with the batteries inside, and serve students with a wi-fi connection. Smart gazebos are produced in our University’s Technical Workshops using 40% recycled materials during manufacturing.
The use of renewable energy resources of the university started with the use of geothermal energy in some part of 15 temmuz Health and Art Campus. The environmentalist attitude of the university continues with the Solar Energy Project, which started in March 2022. Currently, 87% of the installation of solar energy panels have been completed, and with the full capacity production of the project, electricity generation from GES will meet 83% of the annual electrical energy spent by the university in the short term, including all units. It is predicted that carbon emissions will decrease with a higher acceleration with the renewable energy transformations starting from 2022. In this process, depending on the environmental strategies of our university that prioritize sustainability, the enrichment of renewable energy resources will be provided, reductions of 25-30% per year are aimed, and the target of achieving zero carbon emissions is foreseen as 2049.
